Youssouf Fofana

Strasbourg

Fofana began his career with various youth academies in Paris, before joining the youth academy of Strasbourg on 21 February 2017. He made his professional debut with Strasbourg in a 2–0 Ligue 1 loss to Lyon on 24 August 2018.

Monaco

Fofana played his final game for Strasbourg on 25 January 2020, a 3–1 away win over Monaco. Four days later, he was signed by Monaco for €15 million, and made his debut on 1 February, playing 71 minutes of a 3–1 away defeat to Nîmes. On 25 November 2021, Fofana scored his first goal for Monaco, the winning goal in a 2–1 UEFA Europa League victory at home over Real Sociedad. He scored his first league goal with the club in a 4–2 home defeat to Troyes on 31 August 2022.

AC Milan

On 17 August 2024, Fofana completed his move to Italian club AC Milan, signing a four-year contract until 30 June 2028. He chose the kit number 29. On 14 September 2024, Milan won 4–0 against Venezia in Serie A. The second goal, a header following the corner kick, had initially been attributed to Matteo Gabbia prior to Fofana being credited with the goal after a review.

Loan to Sevilla

On 1 September 2026, he joined Spanish club Sevilla, on loan for the 2026–27 season.

Fofana was a youth international for France from under-19 to under-21 level. On 15 September 2022, Fofana received his first call-up to the France national team for two UEFA Nations League matches against Austria and Denmark. In November, he was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by Didier Deschamps. At the tournament, he played in six of France's seven matches, starting the ones against Tunisia in the group stage (1–0 loss) and Morocco in the semi-finals (2–0 win). In the final against Argentina on 18 December, Fofana came on as a 96th-minute substitute in extra time for Adrien Rabiot. The game ended with a score of 3–3, and Argentina came out victorious on penalties. On 18 November 2023, Fofana scored his first goal with France, the seventh goal of a 14–0 win over Gibraltar in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. In the following match against Greece, he scored in a goal from twenty-five metres out in a 2–2 draw.

Fofana is a defensive midfielder, with the preference to play just in front of defense. His main qualities are his physical strength, stamina, and the ability to press opponents to win back possession of the ball. Managed by Massimiliano Allegri at AC Milan, Fofana also began to play as a right-sided box-to-box midfielder in a 3–5–2 formation. Initially struggling with the change and openly expressing concern about his future at the club and the national team, Fofana was eventually able to adapt and even scored a number of goals by cutting into the opposition's penalty area.

Youssouf Fofana was born on 10 January 1999 in Paris. He is of Malian and Ivorian descent.